


Win and Protect

by GreenBird (lovestryker)



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Domestic Violence, M/M, Organized Crime
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-17
Updated: 2014-02-17
Packaged: 2018-01-12 20:07:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 21,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1197831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovestryker/pseuds/GreenBird
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Filled for prompt:<br/>The Padalecki's are a powerful organised crime family run by Gerald. His sons are very much involved. One day Jared sees Jensen in a cafe and follows him to the bookstore he works at/owns. He uses his connections to have him followed and find out everything about Jensen.</p><p>When he is ready, Jared "accidentally" bumps into Jensen coming out of the cafe which is his favorite and dumps coffee all over Jensen. While appearing to be really sorry he persuades Jensen to go on a date with him. While Jensen is shy at first they do go out and fall madly in love with each other. Maybe they eventually get married.</p><p>Would like Jensen to discover Jared's criminal activities at some point. Maybe Jared finds out about an ex who abused (but not sexually) Jensen and has him killed. Jensen is weary but does accept what Jared does as he makes him feel safe and protected.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Win and Protect

Jared needed coffee.  There was no way he was going to survive sitting through a share-holders meeting without it.  Share-holders.  Just the thought made Jared laugh. 

Gerald Padalecki was the crime boss of Chicago, and while the vast majority of his activities were illegal, he had to have a few legal ventures, too, to help hide his criminal activity.  His sons, Jeff and Jared, were each the CEO of one of the legitimate businesses, and even though they were both mainly  figure-heads, they still had to show up and put in some time, especially at a quarterly board meetings.

Jared was in charge of a small publishing house, and he felt fortunate.  He actually held a more active role than was required by his father, simply because he enjoyed the work.  His brother, Jeff, on the other hand, had to oversee a real estate development company, and the thought of sitting through the meetings that Jeff had to attend made Jared shudder.

Still, active or not, Jared was not a fan of early morning share-holders meetings, especially when they were in a rented board room, all the way across town.  Their home office was being renovated, and instead of waiting for the work to be finished and delaying the meeting, the board opted to hold it elsewhere.

That was how Jared found himself stumbling into a small cafe in an unfamiliar part of town, at the crack of dawn.  He ordered his coffee and sank down into an arm chair in the corner, willing himself to wake up.

The cafe wasn't too busy yet, still too early for the morning rush, so when the bell over the door jingled, it caught Jared's attention.  The most gorgeous man Jared had ever seen, hell maybe the most gorgeous person Jared had ever seen, walked up to the counter, looking way more alert and chipper than Jared thought was possible at that time of day.

The barista had a to go cup of coffee ready before the man even reached the counter, making it obvious that the guy was a regular.  Jared was too far away to hear what was being said, but their interaction spoke of a casual familiarity.  The man paid, and grabbed his drink, heading back for the door.   Without really thinking, Jared stood and followed him out.  He didn’t have much time before his meeting, but he felt a compulsion to know where the guy was headed.

He followed him for two blocks, glad that the foot traffic was picking up a little, making it easier to stay concealed.  The man stopped in front of a small store front, unlocked and raised the grate, then unlocked the door and headed inside.

Jared walked past the store, trying to casually peer inside.  It was difficult to see much, but it was obviously a book store.  The name on the door proclaimed it to be “Pages in Time: New, Used, and Rare Books.”

Jared turned around to head to his meeting, and pulled out his phone as he went and hitting speed dial number three.

“Chad, I need you to get me some information.”

2.

Jensen sighed happily as he flipped the closed sign to open, and turned on the lights in his store, the scent and sight of books helping him to feel calm and at peace.  A click from the back room heralded the arrival of his companion, Raven, a sleek, black cat, from his apartment upstairs.  He was glad he’d installed the cat door; it meant that Raven could come and go as she pleased, while allowing Jensen to keep the door to his apartment locked at all times. 

Jensen had loved books all of his life, driving his parents crazy when he was small, demanding to be read to all the time.  He’d been a smart, trusting, outgoing kid, an only child who thrived on his parent’s attention.  While he preferred to lose himself in a book, he also had a passion for soccer, which helped him to fit in with just about all the cliques in high school, and made him fairly popular.

It wasn’t until the end of his junior year that Jensen realized that he was more attracted to the guys on the football team than he was the girls on the cheerleading squad.  The revelation didn’t bother him; what really caused him to panic was telling his conservative parents.  They’d never been anything but supportive of Jensen, but he also knew that this might be something they just couldn’t accept. 

During the summer between his junior and senior year, his Mom decided to make it her mission to find Jensen a girlfriend.  It was frustrating and embarrassing, but he couldn’t get his mom to stop.  Her efforts slowed when school started in the fall, and Jensen breathed a sigh of relief.  She let it go until the spring, when it was time to start thinking of his senior prom.  She pushed and pushed until one evening, Jensen snapped, telling her and his father in no uncertain terms that he was gay.

The next week was tense and uncomfortable; neither of his parents talking to him, whispering to each other, making him feel like an outsider in his own home.  After church the Sunday following his outburst, Jensen’s parents brought him to the pastor’s office where he was told that they’d made arrangements for him to attend a special camp at the end of the school year.  The camp would ‘cure’ his homosexuality.  Jensen agreed to attend, but inside he was seething and hurt.  His parents had been so loving, so supportive, but now it was like they’d been replaced by strangers.  Even after Jensen agreed to attend the camp, they still avoided him as much as possible, giving him looks that were equal parts confused, disgusted, and disappointed.

Though he’d agreed to go, Jensen had no plans to actually attend the camp.  He gathered his college acceptance letters.  He’d dreamed of attending Texas A&M, had even already turned in all of his housing paperwork, but he knew as soon as his parents found out he wasn’t going to be sent away to be ‘cured’ that they’d cut him off financially.  Quietly he contacted the University of Kansas, the school that was offering him the best combination of financial aid and scholarships, despite being out-of-state, and made plans to start classes in the spring instead of the fall. 

He’d hoped he was wrong, that when his parents found out he wasn’t going to camp that they’d come to their senses and realize that his sexual preference wasn’t something to lose him over.  However, that wasn’t what happened.  As soon as they found out that he had no intention of being ‘cured,’ they cut him off, both financially and emotionally.  Jensen left for Kansas that very afternoon, a bus carrying him away from everything and everyone he loved. 

3.

The first year of college was difficult for Jensen.  Adjusting to being away from home, knowing that he couldn’t go back home, and being totally responsible for himself was overwhelming.  Since he had enrolled in the spring, he was able to snag a single room and didn’t wind up making any real friends for the entire year.  Enrolling early also allowed him his choice of work-study jobs, and he immediately chose to work in the university’s library.  By the end of his freshman year, he was Samantha Ferris’, the head librarian, assistant.  Under her mentoring Jensen decided to major in Library Science, and minor in English.  He also became friends with a few of the people he worked with.

Transitioning from the popular kid in high school, to spending an entire year alone had made Jensen retreat into himself a little.  He had never thought of himself as shy, but there was no denying that was how people saw him now. 

Jensen’s sophomore year was much better than his freshman.  He’d adjusted to being on his own, and while the hurt never went away, it was at least manageable.  He had a few friends, he enjoyed his classes, and he loved his job.  Sam had found out that he stayed on campus, alone, on holidays, and insisted that he join her family.  Jensen was surprised to find that he really enjoyed himself.

The beginning of his junior year he met Ethan.  Ethan was the first guy, the first person Jensen had ever dated, and he fell hard and fast.  Ethan was sweet and attentive, understanding about Jensen’s inexperience, and well liked by the few friends Jensen had.  Even Sam had given her seal of approval.  At least at first.

The first three months that they were together were amazing.  Jensen thrived under Ethan’s affection, reverting back a bit to that outgoing boy he used to be.  He even decided to sign up for intramural soccer, something he’d really missed, but been to hesitant to try.

Ethan had seemed supportive and showed up for his first game.  Jensen smiled and waved to him, delighted that he’d come to watch.  Half way through the game however, he noticed that Ethan didn’t seem happy; in fact, he seemed downright livid.  As soon as the game was over Jensen said goodbye to his teammates and headed over. 

At first Ethan denied that he was upset, but finally he admitted that he didn’t like the way people had been watching Jensen on the field.  Jensen was surprised, and a little flattered.  He liked being the center of someone’s universe again, and he didn’t give it much more thought, dragging Ethan off to get some dinner.

After that though, things started to change.  Ethan got more and more possessive and controlling.   He wanted to know where Jensen was every minute of every day, and if Jensen didn’t respond immediately to a phone call or text message when he wasn’t in class, Ethan would be furious.  He started insisting that Jensen spend all of his free time with just him, and he’d hover whenever Jensen talked to someone else.

Jensen’s friends expressed their concern over the situation, and even complained about never seeing him anymore, but Jensen just brushed it off.  He was in love, and if Ethan was a little overbearing, well, that’s just how it was.

The first time Ethan hit Jensen had shocked them both.  Jensen had been held up by one of his professors after class, and was late meeting Ethan for lunch at Ethan’s apartment.  Ethan apologized profusely and swore that it would never happen again.  He’d slapped Jensen, leaving a red mark that had faded fairly quickly, and though Jensen felt a little uneasy, he accepted Ethan at his word, and tried harder to be on time, all of the time.

After that first hit though, something changed in Ethan.  If Jensen had thought he was possessive before, it was nothing to the controlling and domineering person Ethan had become.  The first time Ethan punched Jensen, he left him with a black eye and a bloody nose, followed by profuse apologies.  Things got worse and worse.  Ethan cut Jensen off from all of his friends, insisting that he only go to class and work, and be at Ethan’s apartment the rest of the time.  He was paranoid, and as his temper got shorter and shorter, the violence got worse and worse.

Jensen’s friends and co-workers tried to talk to him, but he wouldn’t listen.  Ethan had done a good job of convincing Jensen that the abuse was Jensen’s fault; that he made Ethan angry on purpose.  After a while Jensen’s friends gave up.  Jensen wouldn’t listen to them, and Ethan made it nearly impossible for them to even speak to Jensen.  Sam however, was another story.  No matter how much Jensen snapped at her and denied what was going on, she wouldn’t let up.

One Monday morning the beginning of Jensen’s senior year, Jensen woke up alone in bed in his dorm room.  He was startled to find Ethan staring at him from across the room, and he immediately knew that he’d done something to seriously piss Ethan off.  Ethan had Jensen’s laptop opened, and his email up.  He accused Jensen of cheating on him based on an email he’d read from one of Jensen’s classmates.  Jensen tried to explain that the guy was just someone he was working with on a group project, but Ethan wouldn’t listen.  By the time Ethan was finished, Jensen was unconscious on the floor.

Sam had known something was wrong when Jensen didn’t show up for his shift at the library; he never missed a shift, or was even late for that matter.  She insisted that campus police check his room, and her insistence probably saved Jensen’s life.  He’d been in the ICU for over a week, spent another week in a regular hospital room, and then three weeks recuperating in Sam’s guest room. 

Ethan was arrested and sent to prison, and Jensen did his best to move on.  He felt like a fool, and once again found himself alone.  He still had Sam, but she had her own career and family to deal with, and Jensen already felt as though she’d done more than enough for him.

He was once again the shy guy.  He went to class and to work, and closed himself off from any gestures of friendship.  He graduated at the top of his class, and was accepted into grad school when his life took another unexpected twist. 

Sam had called him into her office and told him that she had a friend in Chicago, Jim Beaver, who ran a book store.  Jim was looking to retire, but the store was successful and he hated to just shut it down.  Sam convinced Jensen that he should buy the store, and go to grad school in Chicago.  It had taken a lot of cajoling and arguing, but Jensen finally realized that it could be a dream come true.  He could be his own boss, be surrounded by books and other people who loved books, and go to school at his own pace.  Finances were worked out, and Jensen was off to Chicago.

That had been ten years ago, and Jensen hadn’t spent one day regretting his choice, or being thankful to Sam for pushing him so hard.  He’d gotten his master’s degree in literature, and had even had a few of his own short stories published.  He lived in the cozy apartment above the store, and even if his best friend was a cat, Jensen was content.  He was a little lonely, but after the heartbreak caused by his parents and Ethan, Jensen had vowed to himself that he’d never allow anyone close to him again.

4.

Jared’s board meeting had taken longer than usual, but that may have just been because he was so distracted.  He couldn’t stop thinking about the guy from the coffee shop.  As soon as he was finished with his meeting he was on the phone with Chad demanding to know what he’d found out.  Unfortunately, Chad hadn’t found much, because there wasn’t much to find.  Jensen Ackles, age 33, owner of Pages in Time, undergraduate degree from the University of Kansas, graduate degree from the University of Chicago.  He was originally from Texas, and he currently lived above his shop.  Chad promised to keep digging, and see what else he could come up with.

Now that Jared’s legitimate business for the day was concluded, he had to move on to his other responsibilities.  Because he’d taken such a keen interest in the publishing house, his father had allowed him to scale back a little on other areas of the family business, but he still had plenty to do to keep himself busy.  He was in charge of their illegal gambling enterprise, overseeing over a dozen bookies around the city.  He was also directly responsible for the security of the Padalecki family, which was no small task.  Each family member had a minimum of three full time body guards assigned to them.  They also had several other employees who floated between transportation, security, enforcement, and gofers.  With so many able bodied men and women readily available, Jared and Jeff rarely had to get their hands dirty.  Jeff was married and had two little ones, and he tried to distance himself from as much violence as he could, but Jared still occasionally enjoyed a good gun or fist fight, fair or dirty.

There were also odd jobs that his father assigned him (once the youngest, always the youngest), social events his mother required him to attend, and then time for his own entertainment.  Jared was busy, but he liked it that way; he liked the thrill of his lifestyle, the freedom and excitement it afforded.  He was 29 and his mother was pestering him to settle down, but he had no desire to tie himself to another person.  He’d had a two-year relationship with a girl while he was at university.  In the end though, maintaining a relationship just wasn’t worth the effort.

Jared was scheduled to meet with three of his top bookies that afternoon at one of the Padalecki hotels downtown.  Jared’s bodyguard for the day was Aldis.  He’d met Aldis in college, and they’d immediately hit it off.  On the way to his afternoon meeting, Jared explained to Aldis that he wanted to have someone followed, but it had to be discreet, and he only wanted Aldis, and his other two personal body guards, Justin and Tom, to do it.  He wanted to know Jensen’s routine, his friends, his hobbies, anything they could find.

With that taken care of, Jared tried to focus on business.

5.

The next few days and weekend were busy for Jared, work and family commitments taking up all of his time.  His security team spent that time following Jensen, and job which Aldis told Jared was about the most boring they’d ever had.

Aldis explained that Jensen was more predictable than his eighty-three year old grandfather.  During the week Jensen left his apartment over the bookstore at 8:30 a.m., and went to the coffee shop where Jared had first seen him.  He apparently always got the same thing, as the barista had it ready to go as soon as he walked in the door.  He opened the book store at 10:00 a.m., and worked alone until 4:00 p.m., when an employee came in to help.  He went directly to his apartment after work and stayed there until he started all over the next morning.

Saturday was much the same, though he had two employees helping him.  Aldis noted that Sunday was an exciting day.  Jensen left his apartment in the late morning, skipping the coffee shop, and heading for the grocery store.  After dropping off his groceries he went to a local park where he worked with a group of kids, teaching them the finer points of soccer.  That evening he went to a movie, alone, and then back to his apartment.

Jared asked about friends, and was told that Jensen didn’t seem to have friends, just two employees, and acquaintances at the coffee shop and park.  Jared was intrigued.  It was time for him to officially meet Jensen.

6.

Jared waited around the corner of the coffee shop.  He’d had to practically handcuff Aldis to the car to get him to stay far enough away that Jensen couldn’t see him.  Jared was a big guy, and he was always packing; he was pretty sure he could take care of himself for 20 minutes.  Besides, he had a feeling that his presence alone would be a bit much for Jensen, no need having two big guys in his face, not when Jared was trying to make a good impression.

Normally, Jared wouldn’t dream of resorting to what he was about to do, but he didn’t think simply propositioning Jensen would work quite as well as it had on others.  Aldis had laughed and laughed when Jared had told him his plan, and Jared had to come up with some pretty creative threats to make him shut up and swear not to tell anyone.

Right on time, Jensen walked into the coffee shop.  Jared moved forward a bit so that he could see in the window.  When he saw Jensen walking back toward the door, coffee in hand, he made his move.  Just as Jensen stepped out on the sidewalk, Jared stepped to the door, crashing into him, and causing the coffee to splatter between the two of them.  Jensen stared at Jared in shock, and Jared was able to get his first up close, in person view.  Green eyes, long lashes, and freckles.  

“Man, I am so sorry!  I wasn’t paying attention, I’m not really awake yet.  Are you okay?”

Jensen stared a bit, not saying anything, and Jared started to get a little worried.  “Really, are you okay?” he asked, reaching out and laying a hand on Jensen’s shoulder.

The touch seemed to startle Jensen, and his cheeks pinked and he quickly looked away, stammering something about being fine.  Jared grinned at how adorably shy Jensen seemed to be, but quickly schooled his features before his grin could be seen.

“Let me buy you another coffee, and pay for your dry cleaning, or something.  Are you sure you’re okay?  You’re not burned, are you?”

Jensen took a deep breath, and met Jared’s eyes.  “I-I’m fine, really.  And it was obviously just an accident, no need-“

“I want to.  This was my fault, and my mama taught me to clean up my messes.”  Jensen grinned at that a bit, just a slight curve of his lips, and Jared felt like he’d almost won.

“I guess you can buy me another cup of coffee, but that will be enough.  I live just around the corner and I’m sure I can get home and get my shirt washed before the stain sets in.  No need to waste your money on dry cleaning.”

Jared ushered Jensen back inside and purchased them both drinks.  They introduced themselves while they waited; once they’d been given their order, Jensen thanked him, and started to walk away, but Jared wasn’t quite finished yet.

“Hey, you said you live around here, right?”

Jensen froze, body tensing slightly, before he warily turned back to Jared and nodded his head.

“I don’t spend much time in this neighborhood, but a friend told me there was a used bookstore around here.  I can’t remember the name, but I wanted to see if they could get a book for me.”

Jensen looked surprised and nodded again, before stammering out the address of Pages in Time, and telling Jared that the store opened at ten.  Then he was gone.

Jared grinned.  Mission accomplished.

7.

Jared entered the book store almost as soon as Jensen flipped the sign to open.  Jensen was at the counter, and looked up in surprise.  Jared pretended to be surprised, too.  “Jensen!  I didn’t realize you worked here.”

“Um, yeah.  I uh, I actually own the store,” he said as a blush spread across his cheeks, and he looked down at the counter.  Jared really did think he was just about the most adorable thing he’d ever seen.

Jared looked around the store.  It was actually larger than he’d been expecting, and very neatly organized.  There was even a fireplace in the corner, with several plush armchairs surrounding it.  He turned back to Jensen with a smile.  “It’s a really nice store, and hopefully just the place for me to find what I’m looking for.”  Jared went on to explain that as a child, his mother had often read to him from her favorite children’s book, The Wind in the Willows.  She’d had a very old, leather bound copy that had been a gift from her grandmother.  She’d read the book to Jared so often that even now he could still recite entire passages.  Unfortunately, when Jared was about twelve, he’d spilled an entire glass of milk over the book, ruining a good portion of it.  To this day, he still felt badly about it, and he thought getting his mother a new (old) copy would make a great Mother’s Day gift.

“So, I’m hoping you can help me with that, and then with one other thing,” he concluded with a smile.

Jensen had visibly relaxed as Jared had told his story, obviously a little more comfortable talking books than anything else.  “I may have a couple of paperback versions in stock, but nothing leather bound, or first edition.  I can make some calls though, and see what I can find.  If you just fill out this form, I’ll give you a call as soon as I locate one,” he said as he slid some paperwork across the counter. 

Jared took a moment to fill in the blanks, and then handed the form and pen to Jensen, making sure that his fingers brushed over Jensen’s palm. 

Jensen’s cheeks flushed a bit, and he cleared his throat, “You said there was something else?  Are you looking for another book?”

Jared smiled, flashing his dimples, “Nope, no other book.  Have dinner with me.”

Jensen looked even more shocked than he had when Jared had ‘accidentally’ run in to him at the coffee shop.  He stammered a bit, shaking his head.  “That’s – that’s very flattering Mr., “ he paused looking down at the form clutched tightly in his hand. 

“Padalecki,” Jared helpfully filled in for him, curious to see what reaction his infamous name might elicit.  Apparently though, Jensen had no idea who he was.

“Mr. Padalecki, I am flattered, but no.”

“Why not?”

Jensen seemed stunned, and was starting to look a little bit cornered.  “I-I don’t, I’m not,” he paused and took a breath.  “I don’t date.  At all.”

“That’s really too bad,” said Jared, and even though Jensen had turned him down, he didn’t look at all upset or discouraged.  “I’ll see you in a bit, Jensen,” he said with a smile, as he turned and left the store.

8.

Jared had business to attend to after leaving Pages in Time, and getting information from one of a rival family’s security people was dirty work.  After getting what he needed, he cleaned himself up, stopped by a deli, and headed back to see Jensen.

There was a group of women having a book club meeting in the chairs near the fireplace, and a few other customers were perusing the shelves.  It was late enough that one of Jensen’s employees, a red-headed college student named Katie, was at work, setting up a new display near the front of the store.  Jensen was behind the counter, obviously engrossed in his work.  Jared smiled at Katie, and walked up to Jensen, setting the bag from the deli in front of him.

Jensen looked up with an absent smile on his face, and a ‘may I help you’ that died on his lips when he saw it was Jared. 

Jared pushed the bag a little closer to Jensen.  “I know you said you don’t date, but you do eat, right?”

Katie had wandered over, intrigued by the scene playing out in front of her.  She’d been trying to get her boss to go out and try to meet someone for months, and she wasn’t going to allow him to screw up what could be a dinner date with a very hot guy.  Before Jensen could articulate the refusal that Katie knew was coming, she chimed in with, “He certainly does, and what do you know?  It’s time for him to eat right now!”  She winked at Jared, and introduced herself, totally ignoring the glare Jensen was giving her. 

Jared beamed back at her, and asked if there was a place they could eat in private, and Katie directed him to a door marked ‘private’ near the rear of the store.  Jared grabbed the bag and headed back, throwing Jensen a grin over his shoulder.  Jensen just stared blankly at both of them, until Katie gave him a none too subtle shove after Jared.

Jared let out a breath as he entered the small kitchen area that doubled as a break room.  He wasn’t sure that Jensen would have agreed to eat with him if Katie hadn’t stepped in, and he made a note to thank her for her help.  He sat down at the small round table and started to put together the dinner he’d brought.  Jensen hung just inside the door, obviously ill at ease, until he finally squared his shoulders and sat down across from Jared.  Neither spoke as they started to eat, until Raven jumped on the table, demanding food and attention.  That seemed to break the tension, and an easy, if superficial, conversation flowed between them. 

After they were done eating and were cleaning up, Jensen looked at Jared and started to tell him thank you, when a stain on Jared’s shirt’s collar drew his attention.  “Is that blood?”

Jared froze for a second.  He’d really thought he’d gotten the blood from the day’s earlier activities cleaned up.  “Um, yeah.  I uh, I had a bloody nose this afternoon.  Guess I didn’t get it all cleaned up.”

Jensen looked at him for a minute longer, then seemed to accept his answer and move on.  Jared breathed a sigh of relief.

9.

That had been Monday, and each day since, Jared had showed up at some point during the day with either a meal or snack to share with Jensen.  Not once had he asked Jensen out again, and he never stayed longer than it took for them to eat.  Jared could tell Jensen was still nervous and a little confused, but he hadn’t flat out told Jared to stop coming, so Jared continued on with his plan.

Jared didn’t stop by the store on Saturday, and though he was tempted to go to the park on Sunday, he didn’t want to push too hard.  Before he had a chance to stop by the store on Monday though, he received a call from Jensen, telling him that his book was in.  Jared stopped by with dinner that evening, and picked up the book, thanking Jensen profusely.  His story had been true, and he was sure that his mother would love it.

Jared was back at the store just after lunch on Tuesday, and Jensen seemed surprised to see him.    
“Jared!  I…what…did you need another book?”

“No, but I passed by a little bakery earlier and thought you might like a couple of cookies,” he said, handing Jensen a small white box. 

“Jared, look, I-“

“I know, you don’t date. This isn’t a date, it’s me bringing you cookies.  Now, I will admit that I am hoping it will lead to a date, but for now, I’m simply wooing you.”

“You’re wooing me?” Jensen asked, sounding a little faint.

“Yep.  I am totally wooing you, and I’m not gonna lie, I’m pretty damn good at it.”

Jensen just shook his head, and opened the box, reaching in for a cookie.

Two weeks and nine trips to the book store later, Jared was ready to step up his game.  He knew that Aldis, Tom, and Justin had a bet on just how long he’d last, and he knew they were surprised he’d persisted so long already.  Frankly, Jared was a little surprised himself.  He’d never moved so slowly with someone before, not even with his girlfriend in college.  He’d certainly never gone so long without getting into the pants of the person he was interested in.  His body guards had taken to staring at him as if he was a strange science experiment, but even that didn’t bother him.  There was just something about Jensen that made Jared want to protect him; to spend the time getting to know him, and he could tell that he was starting to get to Jensen, just a little bit.

It was Friday evening and Jensen and Katie were at the counter helping a small group of customers.  They both smiled at Jared as he walked in, and Jared wandered over to a new display, waiting for Jensen to be free.

Two of the women at the counter looked at Jared with disdain, before whispering to each other about ‘that awful Padalecki family.’  Jared and Jensen both heard them, and Jared slowly turned, leveling a cold smile at the women, who both went a bit pale.  Jensen seemed a bit confused, and tried to break the tension by commenting on the books the women were purchasing.  They remained ill at ease though, constantly darting fearful glances in Jared’s direction, and scurrying out the door as soon as their transaction was complete.

Once Jensen was free, Jared came over with a rueful grin on his face.  “Sorry about that.  Not everyone in Chicago is a fan of my family.”

Jensen seemed surprised, and Jared just wanted to wrap him in his arms and never let him go.  It was refreshing to have someone respond to him and not his name.

“Anyway, I’ll try not to scare any customers in the future.  Have you eaten dinner yet?”

Before Jensen could respond, Katie jumped in.  It wasn’t the first, or even the second or third time that she’d butted in, attempting to get Jensen to spend time with Jared.   Jensen was really going to have to bring that up at her performance review.

“He hasn’t, and I can tell by the way he’s been grumbling under his breath the last half hour that he’s hungry.  He always gets grumpy when he waits too long to eat.”

“Katie!  I do not!” Jensen exclaimed, flushing in embarrassment.

Jared held up his hands, indicating that they were empty.  “Well, I was going to bring you dinner earlier, but I got held up at work.  I’m starving though, and I was really hoping that you’d agree to go to dinner with me-“

“Jared,” Jensen sighed, at the same time that Kaite said, “He’d love to go!”

“Excellent!” Jared replied to Katie, both of them talking to each other, over Jensen’s protests.  “Can you and Amber close up the shop?”  Katie assured Jared that she and Amber could handle the last thirty minutes of business hours on their own, and she nudged Jensen from around the counter. Jared took Jensen’s wrist, and gently pulled him toward the door.  Once they were outside, Jared stopped.

“Listen Jensen, you don’t have to go with me if you don’t want.  I’m not going to force you.  I would love it if you would at least let me take you out to dinner though.”

Jensen looked at him for a long minute, searching Jared’s face for any signs of deceit.  He looked away for a few seconds before hesitantly replying, “There’s a little Mexican place just around the corner.”  
Jared didn’t think he’d ever smiled so hard in his life.

10.

Jensen Interlude

The restaurant wasn’t too busy, and Jensen and Jared were seated at a small table in the corner.  They placed their orders, and Jared’s phone rang as soon as the waiter walked away.  He glanced at the screen, and then gave Jensen an apologetic grin. 

“Sorry, I have to take this,” he said, just before answering.  He was quite for a minute, then his expression hardened, and he snapped, “just a minute!” before motioning to Jensen that he’d have to step outside.

Jensen shifted uneasily in his chair.  He knew he shouldn’t be there; he’d sworn off men and dating while he was still in the hospital after Ethan, but there was just something about Jared that piqued his curiosity.

Jensen thought back over the past few weeks, replaying his time with Jared.  He’d initially been put off simply by Jared’s size, despite how attractive and charming he was.  Being around men who were bigger and stronger than him filled Jensen with anxiety.  Jared had been so kind and gentle though, always polite and respecting Jensen’s personal space.  He hadn’t pushed Jensen too hard either.  Heck, it was Katie who nagged and prodded him about Jared way more than Jared himself.

Still though, there was something dangerous about Jared that left Jensen unsure.  The women in the store earlier, the way Jared’s eyes had gone cold after he’d answered the phone just moments before…Jensen couldn’t pinpoint it, and while he knew that he should turn around and flee to the safety of his apartment, he just had such a strong feeling that Jared wouldn’t hurt him, that he stayed put.

Jensen had been living in denial for years, telling himself that he wasn’t lonely, that he was better off being alone, but deep down he’d known it was a lie, that he was just too scared of being hurt once again to take the risk.  Jared was making him realize that he longed to share his life with someone.  He wanted to be in a relationship, to have someone to come home to at the end of the day other than Raven.  So, even though the idea terrified him, he decided then and there that he’d give it a shot.  At the very least it would get Katie, and Sam, to give him a little bit of a break.

11.

Jared was furious.  As soon as he’d stepped outside the restaurant, Justin was at his side.  He could tell from Jared’s demeanor that he was on a business, not personal call, and he had the feeling that his night was about to get more interesting than watching Jared fawn all over the little bookwork he was so infatuated with.

“Fucking shit,” Jared exclaimed after ending his call.  “I finally get Jensen to agree to go out with me, and now this.”  He paced along the sidewalk for a moment before turning back to Justin.

“That was Lindberg; he just got tipped off that the cops have a warrant, and are heading to Martinez’ office to seize his computer, and bring him in for questioning.  I need to get down there and take care of it before the cops get there, and I only have about an hour.  I told Martinez that this was going to happen if he wasn’t more careful!  I fucking told him!”

Justin had his phone out and was calling Aldis while Jared ranted.  “Boss.”

“What?” Jared snapped.

“Go back inside.  Tom is on his way here, and Aldis is going to meet me at Joe’s office.  We’ll take care of it, but I gotta go now to make it work.”

Jared gave Justin a grin that was all sharp edges.  “This is why I love you guys.  You and Aldis, in and out.  Have Aldis take the hard drive, and leave everything else.  You take care of Joe; he’s outlived his usefulness.  I have a date to get back to.”

Justin was immediately off.  Jared smiled to himself.  He’d wanted Martinez gone for a while, but his father had insisted on keeping him around.  Gerald had worked with Joe for years, and loyalty was one of the most important things to the Padalecki family.  However, as Joe had gotten older, he’d gotten sloppy.  He had a hard time keeping up with technology, and insisted on doing much of his bookie work the ‘old fashioned way.’  A few months ago Jared had had Chad go to Joe’s office and convert everything from paper to digital.  He’d given Joe the option of retiring, but Joe was stubborn, and grudgingly agreed to the switch.

Chad had been monitoring Joe’s business from off-site, and while overall he had been doing a decent job, Chad had warned Jared that it wouldn’t be long before the man made a mistake that could cost them all. 

Gerald would be disappointed, but he’d also understand.  Even loyalty only went so far when it came to protecting his investments and his family.  Jared went back inside to join Jensen, a smile on his face.  It was turning out to be a good night.

12.

Jared could tell that Jensen was ill at ease when he rejoined him at the table, and the need to set things right was overwhelming.

“I’m really sorry about that.  Work emergency.”

Jensen finally looked up from his fidgeting and met his eyes.  “Do you have a lot of publishing house…emergencies?”

Jared looked at Jensen, nonplussed.  “What?”

“You said you ran a publishing house.  Do you have a lot of emergencies?”

Shit.  Shit, shit, shit.  Jared really needed to remember who he was with.  Reacting to the call about Joe had been automatic, and he foolishly hadn’t given a thought to how he would explain it to Jensen.    
“Jared?”

Jared met Jensen’s eyes, and he hated the uncertainty he saw there.  “Jensen, I really like you. That was a work emergency, but no, it wasn’t related to publishing.  I have…other responsibilities, family related.”

Their food was delivered before Jensen had a chance to reply, and Jared knew it was cowardly, but he was relieved.  He knew Jensen would run if he found out the truth now, and he sincerely hoped that Jensen would give himself time to get to know Jared before he learned the truth about Jared’s ‘other’ responsibilities. 

They were quiet for a while, while they ate, and it was clear that Jensen was using the time to make up his mind. 

“Do you play soccer?”  Jared’s head snapped up at the question; it was totally not at all what he had been expecting.

“No, not really.  I mean I played some in school, but never anything more organized than gym class.”

Jensen was quiet for a few more minutes.  “I coach some kids from the local youth center at the park near the store on Sunday afternoons.  You could um, come by.  If you want?”

Jared almost pinched himself; he couldn’t believe his luck.  “I’d love to.”

13.

Sunday morning dawned clear and bright, and Jared spent a good thirty minutes of it arguing with Aldis.  Jared knew that he was being unreasonable, but he couldn’t seem to help himself. 

“Jared, you have to let me go with you.  You know it.  What are you going to do, tuck your piece into the back of your soccer shorts?  I’m sure the bookworm would love that.”

“Stop calling him that!”

Aldis just grinned.  He and his team had never seen Jared so gone on someone.  They were used to his silly grins as much as they were used to his sharper, more deadly smiles, but the expression he seemed most stuck on lately could be described as nothing short of love-struck.  It was hilarious.

“Okay, okay,” Aldis placated as he raised his hands in surrender.  Jared may come across as the least threatening of the Padalecki family, but Aldis knew first hand just how deadly he could be.  “Still though, you know I’m right.  I’ll try to stay in the background, but you cannot go to that park alone.”

The fight drained out of Jared at that.  “You’re right, you’re right.  I just don’t want to spook him off.  He knew something was up Friday night and I could tell he was ready to bolt.  I don’t want to overwhelm him.”

“Boss, I can totally be discreet.”

++++

“Uh, Jared?  Who is that tall guy who keeps starting at you?  Do you know him?”

Jared glanced over at Aldis who was sitting near the edge of the small fountain in the center of the park.  Discreet his ass.  He also knew that Tom and Justin were nearby, and he was relieved that at least those two had remained out of sight.  He should have known that they’d not pass up the opportunity to watch Jared in a park, on a Sunday, helping a bunch of kids.  He made a note to assign each of them to escort his mother to one of her ‘ladies functions’ in the coming weeks as punishment.

“Yeah, yeah I know him.  He’s…he’s, he’s sort of my bodyguard,” Jared replied looking sheepish. 

Jensen’s eyes grew round, and darted around the park.  “Your what?” he squeaked. 

Damnit!  Aldis was going to pay for this!  Jared knew that Aldis was letting himself be spotted on purpose, and he knew why.  He was trying to force Jared to let Jensen in on the reality of his life a little, before Jared got any more seriously involved.  He was trying to protect him from getting his heart broken if Jensen couldn’t handle the truth, and while it wasn’t Aldis’ place to do it, Jared also knew that it was probably for the best.  Still, maybe it was time to remind his team who was really in charge.  That was for later though.

“My bodyguard.  But Jensen, I promise you that you’re not in any danger.”

“Me?” Jensen asked incredulously.  “Jared, I am surrounded by my kids, and it’s them I’m concerned about.  Maybe you should take your bodyguard and go,” he said as he started to back away.

Jared’s hand shot out and grabbed Jensen’s writs, causing Jensen to flinch and jerk back.  “Whoa, I’m sorry, just hold on a second Jensen, please.”  Jensen looked like he was on the verge of a panic attack, and his reaction to Jared’s touch seemed a bit over-the-top. 

“I promise you that neither you nor the kids are in any danger.  I promise.”

Jensen seemed to be making up his mind, and just when Jared was starting to lose hope, Jensen nodded.  “I’m…I don’t trust easily Jared, and these kids mean a lot to me.  If anything-“

Jensen was interrupted by a small hand tugging on his shorts.  “Mr. Jensen?”

Jensen smiled and knelt down next to a little red-haired boy who looked to be about eight.  The boy whispered something to Jensen that Jared couldn’t hear, but that made Jensen throw his head back in laugher, and whisper something back.  The little boy looked at Jensen, who nodded encouragingly at him.  The little boy took a determined step toward Jared and thrust out his hand. 

Jared bent down a bit to shake it, and the little boy rushed out, “Mr. Jensen said you’re not a Frost Giant like from Thor, so you can be on my team if you want.”

Jared was stunned speechless for a second, while Jensen tried to contain his laughter behind his hand.

“Uh, no I’m not a Frost Giant, and I’d love to be on your team,” he finally replied, as Jensen looked on with approval.

++++++

They spent over two hours with the kids and Jared had a blast.  He’d always loved kids, and often wished that had more time to spend with Jeff’s little ones.  Once the kids found out that Jared didn’t really know anything about soccer, they took it upon themselves to teach him, which entertained Jensen to no end.

After the kids were gone and the equipment packed way, Jared could see Jensen’s ease melt away a little, so he was very surprised when Jensen invited him back to his apartment for lunch. 

Jared knew it was a big deal, and there was no way he was going to say no.  It had taken several non-dates for Jensen to be comfortable having Jared in the employees only section of the store, and he knew that Jensen was showing a tremendous amount of trust by asking Jared to come into his home.

They walked from the park to Jensen’s place in companionable silence, which Jensen hesitantly broke when they reached his door.  “I don’t want to be rude, but does he,” Jensen glanced over his shoulder at Aldis, “have to come up, too?”

“No!  No of course not, he’s fine, believe me,” Jared replied, shooting Aldis a glare.  Alids just waved back, unrepentant.

14.

Jensen unlocked the small door next to Pages in Time, and led Jared up to his apartment.  Jared was trying to contain himself, but the thought of getting to see where Jensen lived was making him a little giddy.

The apartment was simply decorated in browns and blues, and had an open floor plan.  The door opened into a combination living room/dining room, with a small but well appointed kitchen behind. There was a small bathroom off the kitchen, and a staircase that ran both upstairs and down to the store.  Raven came down the stairs and twined herself around Jensen, and then Jared’s, legs. 

“So, this is it.  Make yourself at home.  I’ll make us some sandwiches.”

Jared smiled and nodded at Jensen, and then scooped Raven up and wandered around the living room.   There was a battered, but well cared for leather sofa and chair, and a window seat built under the bay window that looked over the street.  The walls were lined with shelves and filled with books, and there was a flat screen t.v. with a couple of gaming consoles under it.  It was a nice space, relaxing Jared supposed, but something was missing, and he couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was.  Just then his phone buzzed, and he pulled it out to see that it was a text from Jeff with a silly picture of his kids attached.  That’s when it hit Jared.  There were no personal pictures, no knick-knacks of any sort anywhere that he could see.  Jared’s own place was covered with pictures of family and friends and mementos of the places he’d traveled. 

“Lunch is ready,” Jensen said, pulling Jared from analyzing his discovery.  He joined him at the table and they ate in silence for a few minutes. 

“Thanks for inviting me today, and for lunch.  I really had a good time.”

Jensen smiled shyly at him.  “You’re welcome.  I did, too.”

“Wanna watch a movie or something after week eat, or do you have other plans?”

“No, a movie would be good.”

They finished lunch and cleaned up, and then settled on the couch to watch a film.  Jensen insisted that Jared choose, and after pursing Jensen’s selection, he decided on Indiana Jones.  They started on opposite ends of the couch; about half way through the movie they got up to make popcorn, and they wound up sitting much closer together in order to share.  Jared felt like he was back in high school, his buttery fingers catching against Jensen’s every other time he dipped into the bowl.  Once the popcorn was gone, Jared decided to make his move, and he draped his arm over Jensen’s shoulders, pulling him snugly to his side.  Jensen stiffened for a few seconds, but then slowly relaxed into Jared, resting his head on his shoulder.

When the credits rolled, Jared leaned down and pressed a soft, chaste kiss to Jensen’s lips, and then said his goodbyes.  It was the best Sunday he could remember having in a long, long time.

15.

Jared sat in his father’s office with his brother, waiting for his father to join them.  It had been two weeks since the Sunday he’d first gone to the park with Jensen, and he had ditched out on several family events since then in order to spend time with Jensen.  He’d been summoned to his father’s office to discuss business, but he knew that he was really there to be interrogated.  He was a little nervous, and Jeff’s knowing looks weren’t helping any.

“Fuck off, Jeff,” he snarled, but Jeff only laughed in response.

Gerald finally joined his sons, taking his place at the head of the mahogany conference table. 

“Jeff, Jared, fill me in on what’s going on.”  The three spent the next forty-five minutes discussing actual business, making plans and coming up with solutions and ideas.  Jared was beginning to think that maybe he’d be let off the hook when Gerald said, “Jared, your mother misses you.”  Jeff sniggered and Jared replied, “yes, sir.”

“So, why hasn’t she seen you?”

“I’ve been busy.”

“Jared has a boooy-friend,” Jeff sang out.

Jared glared at him.  “What are you, twelve?”

“Boys, enough.  Is it true?”

“I…sort of.”  
“Sort of?  You’re going to have to do better than that, son.”

“Okay, so yes, I’ve met someone, but he’s not exactly my boyfriend.  Yet.”

“I see.  And does he know about,” Gerald swept his hand around the room, “all of this?”

“No, not yet.”  
“That’s a dangerous game to play with someone you care about son.  You know that you can’t go around spilling secrets with a fling, but I’m getting the feeling that this is much more than that.  Is he someone you, someone we, can trust?”

“Yes sir,” Jared said without hesitation. 

“Okay.  Well, then I suggest you figure out a way to introduce him to the family, and if you’re as serious as you appear to be about him, you’re going to have to start thinking about security, too.  Has Chad done a full background check on him?”

“He’s looked into his background.  Honestly, there’s not a lot there, but-“  
“Jared, you know you can’t cut corners on something like this.  I expect a full check, and I mean full.  I want to know where he went to elementary school and which stall he preferred to use in the bathroom of his high school.  Are we clear?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Excellent.  And, we expect both of you for dinner this Sunday at 5:00, no excuses.”

 

Jared had a busy week, and he wasn’t able to see Jensen until Friday night.  They’d talked on the phone several times, and had lunch at the store once, but that really wasn’t nearly enough to satisfy either one of them.  He’d told Jensen that he’d be at his place by 7:00, and that he’d bring dinner with him.  Up to that point, he’d been very careful about keeping his work and family life separate from the time he spent with Jensen.  He always left his gun with whoever was his guard at the time, assuming that Jensen wouldn’t be thrilled with having a firearm in his home.  Tonight though, he was in a rush, running late from a meeting, in a hurry to get to Jensen, and he simply forgot. 

Jensen met him at the door and they climbed the stairs together.  Once inside, Jensen took the takeout bags from Jared and set them on the table, turning back around and to give Jared a hug.  Jared was ecstatic.  It was the first time that Jensen had initiated physical contact with him.  They’d shared a couple of make out sessions, and watched more than a few movies tangled up on the couch, but Jared was always the instigator those times. 

Jensen’s arms wound around Jared’s waist, and his hands skimmed over his lower back before he froze and drew in a sharp breath, jumping back from Jared like he’d been burned.

“Jensen?” Jared asked, not understanding what the problem was.

Jensen looked at him with wide eyes.  Jared took a step toward him, and Jensen took a step back, bumping into the table.  “What’s…what’s, Jared what…”  
And just like that it clicked for Jared, Jensen had felt the gun in his waistband.  He slowly reached back and pulled it out, reaching passed Jensen to lay it carefully on the table.  Jensen immediately took a step to the side, like the gun was a snake that would strike him at any time.

“Why do you have a gun, Jared?” Jensen whispered.

Jared knew that this was a crucial moment for them.  He could try to lie his way out of it, only to be caught later, or he could tell the truth, and risk scaring Jensen off for good.  Either way, there was a very real chance that he was about to lose the man that he was quickly falling in love with, and there was just no way that he could let that happen.

“Can we talk?  I promise I’ll explain everything.”

Jensen hesitated, indecision warring in his eyes.  “Okay,” he said as he walked into the living room and sat in the arm chair.  “Explain.”

16.

Jared sat on the edge of the couch, and took a deep breath.  “I was going to explain this weekend.”

Jensen gave him a skeptical look, but didn’t say anything.

“I was, really.  My parents want to meet you; they’ve invited us to dinner on Sunday evening.  It’s just, it’s a lot to explain, and I don’t really know where to start.”

Jensen crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back in the armchair, giving Jared a flat look. 

“Okay.  Remember those women in the store a few weeks ago, how they were whispering about my family?”  Jensen nodded.  “Well, like I said, a lot of people in this town don’t care for my family.  At all.  We…control a lot of things, and we don’t let anything or anyone get in our way.”  Jared looked at Jensen, but Jensen’s face remained carefully blank.

“I’m not explaining this right.  We have a lot of legitimate businesses; I really do work at a publishing house.  It’s just that I also have some responsibilities that are not quite so…well, legal.”

Jensen snorted, “So you have a bodyguard, you carry a gun, and you what, use the publishing house as a front?  Who are you, the Gotti’s?”

Jared gave Jensen a sheepish look, and Jensen’s expression became incredulous.  “Holy shit.  Holy shit, organized crime?  Are you telling me that I’ve been dating a Corleone?”

“I…yes, sort of.  We’re not quite that dramatic.”

Jensen just shook his head, “I can’t believe this.  I think you should leave, Jared.”

“Wait!  Please, Jensen, please just let me explain.”

“Fine.  You have about sixty seconds.”

“Thank you,” Jared said with relief.  “My great-grandfather immigrated from Poland.  He lived in Boston for several years, but then moved his family to Chicago, where he started a bakery.  My grandfather took it over after his father died, but then the stock market crashed and the bakery wasn’t profitable enough to support his family.  He was desperate, and he started doing some odd-jobs to make ends meet.  Only they weren’t your typical odd-jobs, they were the jobs that no one else wanted to do: debt collection, protection, that sort of thing.  He wound up becoming the right-hand man for several of the gangsters you’re probably familiar with.  Capone, those guys.  Only, it turns out he was better at it than all those guys.  They wound up dead or in jail, and my grandfather wound up in charge.  My Dad joined him when he was old enough, and now both Jeff and I are part of it, too.”  Jared paused, trying to gauge Jensen’s reaction, but he once again wore a blank expression.

“Like I said, I really do run a publishing house, but I’m also in charge of other things.  Things that it’s better for you not to know about.  I really was going to tell you all of this, this weekend, because not only do my parents want to meet you, but because I’m falling in-“

“Don’t say it, Jared.  Don’t you dare tell me that right now.”

Jared looked defeated.  “Okay.  But because you’re so important to me, if you decide to give me a chance, things would have to change a bit for you.”

Jensen didn’t look impressed.  “Things like what?”

“Well, you’d need some protection for one thing.”  
“I am not carrying a gun!”

“No, no, I wouldn’t expect you to do that.  I mean more like a body guard, a better security system here and in the store, that type of thing.”

Jensen started to shake his head, but Jared rushed on, “None of it would really have much of an impact.  The security system might add a few buttons to push, but the guard would be totally unobtrusive.  You’d just have to give a little notice if you were planning to do anything outside of your routine.  I promise that it wouldn’t disrupt your life.”

They sat in silence for a few minutes.  “Have you ever killed anyone, Jared?”

“Jensen, please.  Please don’t ask questions if you won’t be able to accept the answer.  You know me Jensen, the real me.  I was so excited that you didn’t recognize my name.  Most people can’t see past it, but you, you’ve gotten to know who I am, not who my name says I am.  Please give us a chance.”

Jensen stood up.  “You need to go, Jared.  I can’t…this is all too much.  There are things in my past that I haven’t told you about, things that made me swear I’d never have another relationship again.  I took a chance on you, and now…I just don’t know.”

Jared felt as though his heart was being torn in two.  He wanted to stay and beg and plead with Jensen to give him a chance, but he also knew that wouldn’t work.  He’d just overwhelmed Jensen with so much, and he knew that he needed time to process it.

 “At least consider coming to my parent’s house for dinner on Sunday.  They really want to meet you, and I really want them to meet my boyfriend.”

“Jared-“

“I know, it’s a lot to take in, but Jensen, I promise it will be worth it.  I’ll spend my entire life making you happy if you give me the opportunity.  If you think I’m worth it, then come to my parent’s place on Sunday.  If not, I promise that I’ll leave you alone.”

17.

+++Jensen+++

Jensen sat in the armchair, Raven curled in his lap long after Jared left.  He couldn’t wrap his mind around all that Jared had told him.  He’d known that there was something more to Jared than he’d let on.  The bodyguard, the women in his store, and Jensen would be the first to admit that he had perfected the art of living in denial, but organized crime wasn’t something that he’d ever have guessed. 

Finally, Raven demanded food, and Jensen stood up, stretching muscles stiff from sitting so long.  He fed his girl, and then powered up his laptop.  He’d considered Goggling Jared weeks before, but had decided against it.  Now though, he felt like he didn’t have a choice.

Before he knew it almost three hours had gone by, and he was more overwhelmed than ever.  Page after page after page of links to news stories about the Padalecki family had filled his screen.  Articles from all different news outlets detailed the criminal activities, both proven and alleged, of Jared and his family, from illegal gambling, loan sharking, and insider trading, to political corruption.  They were also tied to several kidnappings and murders.

At the same time, there were a lot of articles praising the family for its commitment to the community.  They made generous donations to charities, had set up several scholarships to local schools, and their legitimate businesses employed a large number of people.  Jared specifically had been written about several times, discussing his volunteer work.  There were also several articles on gossip sites that discussed his personal life, but Jensen skipped over those.

He shut his laptop and got ready for bed, though he knew it would be a long time before he could sleep.  His mind was spinning with everything he’d learned.  He thought back to how he’d felt with Ethan.  Even before things had gone bad, he’d never felt as safe and as happy as he did with Jared.  He remembered the fear and self-loathing he’d lived with for so long, and how difficult it had been to become content with his new life in Chicago.  He thought back to all of the time he’d spent with Jared.  How he’d been persistent but respectful, how he’d been so patient, allowing Jensen to set the pace of their physical relationship.  If he was honest with himself, he knew that he was already in love with Jared.  Was that enough though?  Was a relationship with Jared, who made him feel safe and protected despite what Jensen had learned about him worth the risk?  He just didn’t know.  He finally fell into a restless sleep, no closer to making a decision than he had been when he’d told Jared to leave earlier in the evening.

18.

Jared was climbing the walls by Sunday afternoon.  He’d not heard from Jensen at all, and he’d forced himself to give Jensen time to make a decision.  He had sent him one text with his parent’s address, and a reminder about dinner, but he’d gotten no response.

Aldis, Tom, and Justin had done their best to distract him, but without much success.  Even ‘persuading’ a local thug to remember just whose territory he was working in hadn’t done much to alleviate the tension.  All three breathed a sigh of relief when it was time for Jared to head to dinner, and all three fervently hoped that Jared’s little bookworm would show up. 

Jared got to his parent’s place about 4:30.  He wanted to have time to speak with his father before 5:00, when Jensen would hopefully arrive.  His father was in his study, going over some paperwork. 

“Jared!  You’re here early.”

Jared set a folder down on his father’s desk.  “That is the information you wanted on Jensen.”

Gerald picked up the folder, and scanned through it.  “Have you read this?”

“No, and I don’t plan to either.  If Jensen wants me to know something, then he’ll tell me.”  Jared had been expecting an argument, but instead his father smiled at him, looking proud.  Just then Jared’s mother came in.

“I thought I heard you, darling.  I’m so glad to see you!  Where’s your young man, Jason, isn’t it?”

Jared stepped over and kissed his mother on the cheek.  “Jensen, momma, it’s Jensen, and he’s not here.  In fact, I’m not sure if he’ll be here at all.”

“Did something happen?” she asked, reaching up to tuck Jared’s hair behind his ear. 

“He found out about me, us.  I had been planning to tell him this weekend, but it didn’t go quite according to plan, and I’m afraid that I may have scared him off for good.”

“Oh, baby, I’m sure that you didn’t.  And if you did, well, then he wasn’t good enough for you anyway.”  Jared smiled.  As much as it could infuriate him, he knew that he’d always be his momma’s little boy.

Before they could discuss it further, Arianna and Brayden, Jeff’s children, burst into the room.  Jared hadn’t seen them in a couple of weeks, and he’d missed them.  Jeff and his wife, Emily, followed, and they spent the next several minutes catching up.  Before he knew it, it was 5:00, and Jared kept glancing at the door.  By the time it was 5:30, he’d pretty much given up hope.  His family kept shooting him looks of concern which he resolutely ignored.  Jensen had obviously made his decision, and Jared would just have to learn to live with it.

At 5:45 the doorbell rang, and Jared practically flew through the house to answer it.  Jensen stood on the front steps holding a bouquet of flowers and looking more uncomfortable than Jared had ever seen him. They just stared at each other for a minute until Jared’s mother cleared her throat from behind Jared.

“Oh!  Right, come on in.”

Jared’s mother stepped forward.  “You must be Jensen.  I’m so happy that you could make it this evening.  I’m Sherry Padalecki, Jared’s mother.”

Jensen shook her hand and handed her the flowers.  “It’s nice to meet you, too, Mrs. Padalecki.”

“Please, call me Sherry.”

“Yes, ma’am.”  Sherry just laughed.  The rest of the family had followed Sherry into the foyer, and introductions were quickly made, and then Sherry directed everyone to the dining room for dinner.

Jared held Jensen back.  “I am so glad that you’re here, Jensen.  You have no idea.”  
“We still need to talk, but I’m glad I’m here, too.  I’m a little terrified of your family, but I’m glad I’m here.”

“There’s nothing to be afraid of; they’re all really excited that you’re here.  You’re only the second person I’ve ever brought home to meet them.”

“Really?  That’s…You just keep surprising me.”

“Really.  Now come on, I’m starving.”

Jensen laughed.  “Of course you are.  But just one question.  It’s kind of awkward.”

“You can ask me anything.”  
“Okay, um, your gun.  Do you…”  
“Oh, no.  Momma has a very strict no guns at the dinner table policy.”

Jensen started to laugh, but one look at Jared told him that he wasn’t joking.  It was both comforting and shocking at the same time.  “Well then, let’s eat.”

19.

Dinner had gone well.  There had been a few awkward moments when Jared’s parents had asked about his family and his past, but Jared had quickly steered the conversation in other directions.  His Mom has whispered her approval to Jared when they’d said good night.  Now they were back at Jensen’s apartment, and it was time to talk. 

“Your family is really nice.  I’m not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn’t for them to be so…”

“Normal?” Jared laughed.

“Well, yeah.”

“You watch too many movies, man.”

Jensen busied himself making coffee, and Jared settled on the couch with Raven, who was demanding attention.  Once Jensen joined him, they sat in silence for a few minutes, neither man knowing quite where to start.

“Thank you for coming tonight, Jensen.  I know that this has been a shock, and a lot to take in.  I don’t want to be presumptive, but this does mean that that you want to be with me, right?”

Jensen smiled, “Yes, that’s what it means.  I can’t say that I’m entirely comfortable with the whole situation, or that I’m sure things will work out, but I do want to try.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet,” Jensen said as he looked away.  “There are things that I haven’t told you Jared, things about my past.  I swore that I’d never be in a relationship again, that I’d never leave myself open, but with you, I don’t know, I just can’t seem to help it.  And I know that you said that there are things that will have to change for me, and I’m willing to do what’s needed, but I can’t promise that it will be easy for me.”

“Jensen, you don’t have to tell me anything that you don’t want me to know.  And you’re right, there are some things that will have to change, but I promise to keep their impact on your life as minimal as possible.  I love you, Jensen, and I’ll do anything to keep you happy and safe.”

“I..I love you, too.  I shouldn’t, but I do.”

They spent the next few hours together on the couch.  Jared told Jensen a little bit more about each of his family members, and about what life had been like for him growing up.  Jensen told him about his childhood, and his split from his parents.  He told him about college, and Sam and about moving to Chicago for school and the store.  Finally, he couldn’t put it off any longer.

“When I was in Kansas, I met this guy.  He was so great at first.  I’d been alone for a couple of years at that point.  I had a few friends, and Sam, but it had been a long time since anyone had touched me, or told me that they loved me.  He…he hurt me,” Jensen explained as he started to tremble.  He hated even thinking about what he’d gone through with Ethan, and talking about it was something he avoided at all costs.

“Jensen, you don’t have to tell me.”

“No, I do.  Because I’m fucked up, Jared.  He fucked me up and I’m not sure that I’ll ever totally get over it.”  Jared’s arms tightened around Jensen, and Jensen was once again surprised to find that he found Jared’s touch comforting and not oppressive.  “He would get angry, really angry.  It started out with little things, things that I just brushed off.  It uh, it didn’t end that way.”

Jensen glanced at Jared then, and before Jared was able to school his expression, Jensen saw clearly the Jared who carried a gun and was part of an organized crime family.  If Jensen didn’t know him, the look on his face would have sent him running in the other direction. 

“I’ll spare you all of the details, and my stupidity for staying with him and just tell you that I wound up in the ICU, and he wound up serving time in prison.”

Jared sucked in a breath, “What’s his name?” he asked with a cold, flat voice.

“It doesn’t matter, Jared.  It’s over, and I don’t want to have to have anything to do with him again.  Ever.  Please, just let it go.”

“Yeah, yeah, okay.  It’s just, when I think of someone hurting you…this guy, your parents…”

“You want to put a horse’s head in their beds?”

That shocked a laugh out of Jared, and broke the tension that had built up between them.  “I really do love you, Jensen Ackles.”

20.

True to his word, Jared tried to keep the extra security measures as unobtrusive as possible.  He arranged for Chad to have a new, state-of-the-art security system installed in both the store and Jensen’s apartment, though he hoped to have Jensen living at his place before long.  He introduced Jensen to Aldis, Justin, and Tom and explained that one of them would always be around when Jensen wasn’t at work or with Jared, but that most of the time Jensen wouldn’t even know they were there.  Jensen had balked a little at that, but the thing that he put up the most fuss about was his new employee.

Jared had explained that he wanted Jensen to hire a new, full-time employee, and let Katie go.  He thought he’d seen Jensen angry before; he’d been wrong.  Jensen was livid, and he made sure that Jared knew it.  Actually, Jared thought it was kind of hot. 

They were in Jensen’s apartment, and Jared had yet to see the upstairs.  Their physical relationship hadn’t progressed beyond a few hand jobs, and one very memorable blow job exchange and Jared couldn’t deny that he was very anxious to move things forward.  Still, he didn’t want to push Jensen.  Of course Justin, Tom, and Aldis had figured it out, and had been giving him shit for it, and he was positive that they had another bet going.

Jensen was pacing around the living room, muttering under his breath.  Jared sat on the couch, attempting to look contrite, instead of amused and turned on.  He’d tried to interrupt a couple of times to explain, but Jensen had quickly shut him down, so Jared decided to just let him run out of steam.  After a few more minutes, Jensen stopped, pointed a finger at Jared and said, “I am not going to fire Katie.”

“Would you give me a chance to explain?”

Jensen narrowed his eyes, “I think ‘you need to fire Katie’ was pretty self-explanatory.”

‘That’s true, but that’s not my whole idea, and if you’d listen for a minute I think you might like what I’ve come up with.”

“Fine,” Jensen huffed as he crossed his arms over his chest. 

“I do want you to fire Katie and hire someone else, someone I know.  But, I have a plan for Katie.  I owe her, and I want to do something for her.”

Jensen went from looking just pissed-off to looking pissed-off and suspicious.  “Why do you owe her?”

Jared grinned, “Because her impressive nagging skills got you to spend time with me more than once.”  
Jensen just grunted in response.

“Anyway, I’ve wanted to do something for her since the first time she made you eat lunch with me, and I think I’ve come up with the perfect solution,” he said smugly.

Jensen once again glared at him, “Fine.  What’s your great idea?”

“I thought you’d never ask.  You said that she’s an English major at Northwestern, right?”

At Jensen’s nod, Jared continued.  “I figured that’s why she’s working in a bookstore.  One step closer to being an author and all that.  Well, I just happen to run a very successful publishing house, and we’re in need of some help.  She gets one step closer to her dream, and you don’t have to feel guilty.”

Jared saw the fight drain out of Jensen.  “Okay, that is a pretty good idea.  I hate the idea of losing her, meddling brat that she is, but I know she’d jump at the chance to work for you.  But, I don’t want some, some, thug taking her place.”

Jared laughed, “I promise not to replace her with a thug.  In fact, I have someone in mind already, someone who I think you’ll really like.  Her name is Amy; she’s very well-read, and she’s also tough and one of the best shots that I know.  Her father has worked for mine for years, so I’ve known her since we were kids.  She lived in California for the last few years, but she moved back a couple of months ago and is looking for something to do.  I talked to her about your store, and she’s really interested.  Obviously, you’ll get to make the final decision, but I really do think that you’ll like her.”

Jensen shook his head, “It’s a good thing you’re so hot, Padalecki.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, because right at the moment I can’t think of even one other redeeming quality you might have.”

“Well, in that case, maybe I should prove my worth to you.  Do you have a bedroom in this place?” he asked, wiggling his eyebrows.  
Jensen laughed, and then looked thoughtful for a moment, before getting up and crossing to the stairs, Jared following eagerly behind.

 

21.

Jared could almost feel the tension building in Jensen as they climbed the stairs.  Once in the bedroom, Jensen was so on edge that Jared was ready to call the whole thing off.

“Jensen, if you’re not-“

“No!  No, I do want to.  It’s just, it’s been awhile.  A long while, and,” he trailed off, embarrassed. 

Jared pushed him gently down on the bed, and draped himself on top.  “We can stop whenever you want.”

“I’m not some nervous prom date, Jared,” Jensen laughed, but he looked relieved.

Jared started slowly; kissing Jensen was not a hardship.  Before too long Jensen had relaxed and was returning Jared’s attention enthusiastically.  Jared undressed them both, reveling in each new spot of skin he revealed.  When Jensen was finally naked, Jared stared, “you’re so beautiful,” he whispered and was rewarded with a blush that spread from Jensen’s cheeks to his chest. 

Jared followed the blush with his mouth, stopping to give Jensen’s nipples attention, then continuing down to his hipbones, before taking Jensen fully in his mouth.  Jensen moaned, thrusting his hips as the wet heat of Jared’s mouth encased him. 

“There’s, oh, lube in the” Jensen flung his hand toward the bedside table, unable to complete his thought.  Jared pulled off and retrieved lube and a condom, then settled back between Jensen’s legs.  He prepped Jensen slowly and carefully, until Jensen was a writing mess beneath him.

“’m ready, Jared, please”

Jared quickly rolled on the condom, and leaned down to kiss Jensen while he pushed inside.  Jensen tensed up at the initial intrusion, but when Jared went to stop, Jensen urged him on until he was seated fully inside.  He gave Jensen a few moments to adjust, distracting him from the pain with kisses and whispered words of how incredible he was.   Jensen told Jared he was ready, and they lost themselves in each other’s bodies, finally coming with the other’s name on their lips.

22.

Things were going well.  Katie had been ecstatic when Jared offered her a job, and despite his determination to be a grumpy bastard about it, Jensen had to admit that Amy was working out well.  Jared and Jensen spent almost all of their free time together, and it was getting to the point that neither one could sleep well without the other.   Jared and Brayden joined Jensen at the park each Sunday afternoon, and Jensen joined Jared for dinner with his family each Sunday evening. 

Jared still kept as much of his non-legitimate business away from Jensen as possible, and Jensen had quickly come to understand not to ask questions if he wasn’t prepared to hear the answer.  Jared had been at first surprised and then dismayed at how well Jensen got along with Aldis, Justin, and especially Tom.  He’d caught them more than once telling Jensen an embarrassing story about him.

It was a Saturday morning, and Jared was in his kitchen with Jeff and Aldis, and he was fuming.  A member of their syndicate in New York had decided to get in to human trafficking, despite being expressly told not to by Gerald on more than one occasion.  The guy was one of the few remaining members of what had once been a strong organized crime family.  His father had been a friend of Gerald’s and prior to his death he’d turned over control of his enterprises to Gerald, knowing that his son wasn’t competent enough to run things.  The son, Pete, hadn’t taken that well, and had done everything he could to cause trouble once his father had passed away.  Up to this point it had been minor inconveniences, but this was taking things too far, and Jared had been told to ‘take care of it’ once and for all.  That meant rearranging his entire schedule for the week, and making a trip to New York. 

Jeff left, Aldis went to make travel arrangements, and Jared headed to his office to calm down.  He knew it was a little unorthodox, but cleaning his handguns had always been something that soothed him.  He was glad that Jensen was still upstairs asleep, because an angry Jared cleaning a gun was probably not something that Jensen would find endearing. 

He laid his three favorites out on his desk and went to work, letting the practiced motions and scent of gun oil relax him.  Of course just when he was starting to unwind, Chad called to let him know that Pete had been arrested the night before, and had just been bailed out by his lawyer.  That meant that Jared had to step up his time table and leave as soon as possible instead of waiting until Monday.  He called Aldis to let him know, and finished the call just as a knock sounded on the open door.

“What the fuck now?” he snapped, before looking up.  A very startled Jensen stood in the door way.  He flinched at Jared’s sharp tone, and his eyes darted back-and-forth between Jared and the guns laid out on his desk.

“S-sorry.  I didn’t mean to interrupt; I’ll just leave you alone,” he whispered before disappearing down the hall.

“Shit,” Jared huffed, before taking off after his boyfriend.  He hated it when he scared Jensen.  He tried his hardest not to do it, and more often than not he succeeded.  He just hoped that over time Jensen would come to truly believe that Jared would never, ever harm him. 

He followed Jensen to the master bedroom where Jensen was gathering his things, obviously preparing to leave.  He’d not heard Jared come in, and when Jared said his name, Jensen spun around, his hands flying up to shield his face.  The action made Jared’s heart hurt at the same time as anger flared inside him.  He’d really like to kill the bastard who’d done this to Jensen.

Jensen’s expression quickly morphed from fear to embarrassment, and he sighed as he sat down on the edge of the bed.  Jared knelt on the floor between Jensen’s legs, and gently took his hands.  “I’m sorry I frightened you.  I didn’t mean to snap; I just found out that I have to fly to New York this afternoon to clean up a mess, and I’m just frustrated.  I apologize for taking it out on you.”

Jensen gave Jared a rueful grin, and cupped his cheek, “No, I’m sorry.  I trust you Jared, I really do, and I should have moved on from this by now.  It’s just, sometimes I can’t help reacting to things, even though I know I’m being stupid.”

“No!  No, Jensen, you’re not stupid.  The things you went through…you’re one of the strongest people I’ve ever met.  If anyone should be sorry, it’s that asshole of a boyfriend you used to have.”

Jensen leaned forward and gave Jared a soft kiss, “So you have to leave today?”

“Yeah, it can’t be helped.  I’m sorry I won’t be able to help you with the kids tomorrow, but I doubt I’ll be able to be back before Tuesday.”

“It’s okay, but I’ll miss you.  Bring me back a present?”

Jared laughed, “Anything you want.”

 

23.

+++Jensen+++

Jensen had come to accept a lot over the weeks since he’d learned about Jared and his family.  Sometimes he couldn’t believe the turn his life had taken, and sometimes he questioned if he’d made the right decision by staying with Jared.  Reconciling the Jared he loved with the cold blooded killer he had read about was still something he couldn’t really do.  His Jared was so sweet, gentle, and protective that he couldn’t imagine him hurting a fly, let alone taking someone’s life. 

He’d seen it though, and when it came right down to it, he couldn’t deny what was right in front of him.  Jared would occasionally get this look in his eye when he was talking about business.  It was cold and calculated, and in those moments, Jensen could see just how dangerous Jared could be.  Despite that, maybe even because of it, Jensen felt protected.  It had been a long time since he’d felt so safe with anyone, and even though the idea of Jared being a mobster was at times overwhelming, he knew that he’d be with Jared for as long as Jared would have him.

It was Monday afternoon, and Jared was still in New York.  They’d talked on the phone several times, and Jared thought he’d be able to fly back by Wednesday.  Jensen had taken the extra time that Jared’s absence had given him to catch up on a few things at the store, and even though he missed Jared, he was content.

Amy had taken lunch to the park across the street from the store and was eating with Tom, leaving Jensen alone in the store, but still within sight.  It was one of the slowest times of the week, and since the store was empty, Jensen had gone to the break room to make a fresh pot of coffee.  The bell over the door dinged, and Jensen headed back into the front.

“May I help you?” he asked.  There was a man standing just inside the door, but with the sunlight coming in from outside, Jensen couldn’t see his face.  That didn’t stop the prickle of fear he felt.

“Jensen,” the man said as he stepped forward, “you look good.”

“I’m sorry, do I-“ Jensen cut himself off with a gasp as he was finally able to see the man clearly.  “Ethan, what are you doing here?”  This could not be happening.  Ethan wasn’t supposed to know where he was.  Jensen had gotten a call two years ago letting him know that Ethan had been paroled.  He’d spent a few weeks jumping at shadows before he convinced himself that Ethan wouldn’t risk being sent back to jail by violating the terms of his release by crossing state lines and coming near Jensen.  As the months passed Jensen became more and more confident that Ethan was going to leave him alone until he hardly even thought about it.

Now here he was, standing in front of Jensen who was all alone in the store, looking at him like he was the best thing he’d ever seen.  Jensen moved behind the counter, wanted to put as much of a barrier between them as possible.

“What are you doing here, Ethan?” Jensen asked, hating the tremor in his voice.

“I’m here for you of course.”

“What?  What does that mean?  I don’t want anything to do with you!”

“Aw, baby, don’t be like that.  I’ve changed.  Went through anger management and everything while I was locked up.  You know, in prison.  The place you sent me.”  
Jensen just gaped for a few seconds, “The place I sent you? You’ve got to be kidding.”

“Not at all.  I know I lost my temper, that I hurt you, and I’m here to make it up to you.  And you owe me, Jensen.”

“I don’t owe you anything,” Jensen spit out.  “You need to leave.”  
“Okay, you want me to work for it a little.  I can handle that.  You always were a little high-maintenance.  I’ll leave for now, but I’ll be back.  You’re mine Jensen, always have been, always will be.”  With that he turned and left the store, and Jensen ran to the bathroom, emptying the contents of his stomach into the toilet.

His mind was spinning.  He’d honestly never thought he’d see Ethan again, and he didn’t know what to do.  His instinct was to run.  To put as much distance between them as possible, but he couldn’t seem to move from the bathroom floor.  He heard the bell over the door ding again, and he pressed himself against the wall, praying it wasn’t Ethan.

“Jensen?” he heard Amy call as relief washed over him.  He tried to answer, but couldn’t get the words to come.  Amy found him huddled on the floor, shaking and pale.  “What the hell happened?  Are you okay?” she asked as she dropped to her knees beside him.

Jensen wiped the back of his hand over his mouth, debating what he should say.  He wasn’t sure if she knew about Ethan, and he didn’t want to have to explain either way.  He knew that Jared would know and would rush back even if his business wasn’t complete.  He also knew that he wasn’t thinking straight; he was rattled and terrified and just wanted to escape to his apartment and hide.  
“Jensen?  Come on, you’re scaring me.  Are you okay?”

“Y-yeah.  Yeah, just think I’m coming down with something,” he said and immediately cringed.  He hated lying, but he just couldn’t talk about it.

Fortunately, Amy took his expression as nothing more than being sick, and insisted that he head upstairs and get some rest.  Jensen stood on shaking legs and slowly made his way upstairs.  He rinsed his mouth, triple checked the locks and security system, and sat down on the couch.  He had no idea what he was going to do.

24.

Jared arrived back at his hotel suite, ready for a shower.  He hadn’t even dealt directly with Pete yet, and still he felt dirty from the man.  Sunday and Monday had been spent cleaning up the business end of the mess Pete had made, and making preparations to take care of Pete himself.  That would happen the next day, Tuesday. 

He met Aldis and Justin in the main part of the suite after his shower, and had dinner.  He ate as quickly as he could, anxious to call Jensen and try to relax.

He excused himself to his bedroom (and seriously, he was the boss; he should not have to put up with ridicule and jokes about phone sex from his bodyguards) and hit speed-dial as he laid back on the bed.  Jensen typically answered within the first two rings, but this time it rang several times and went to voice mail, which was strange.  Jared tried again, and a shaky Jensen answered on the fourth ring.

“Jensen?”

“Yeah, yeah it’s me.”

“Are you okay?”

“I just…I think I ate something bad at lunch.  Not feeling very well.”

“Do you need a doctor?  I can have Tom or Amy take you.”

“No!  I mean, I’m sure I’ll be fine, and I don’t really feel like going out.  How are you?  You sound tired.”

“I am; it was a long day, but we got a lot taken care of.  Tomorrow is going to be even worse though.”

“Oh.  So you won’t be able to come home tomorrow?” Jensen asked with a waver in his voice.

“No babe, I know that I said I’d try, but I just don’t think that I’ll be able to make it before Wednesday, maybe even Thursday.  Things here are just a bit more…complicated than I’d anticipated.”

He heard Jensen take a deep breath.  “That’s fine.  I just want you to be safe.”

“This job is complicated, but it’s not particularly dangerous, I promise.”

“Okay, okay good.”  
“You get some rest; you sound like you need it.”

“You, too.”

“Night, Jensen.”

“Jared?”

“Yeah?”

“I…I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Jared ended the phone call with a tight knot of worry in his gut.  Despite his exhaustion, sleep was a long time coming.

25.

Jared’s first thought upon waking was of Jensen.  He hoped that a bad lunch was all that was wrong, and he wanted to call and check on him, but New York was two hours ahead of Chicago, and he was sure that Jensen wasn’t up yet, and he didn’t want to wake him.  However, he had no problem with waking Tom.

Tom already knew that Jensen hadn’t been feeling well the day before, and he assured Jared that he’d make sure that Jensen was okay, and if not get him to a doctor.  He didn’t even give Jared a hard time about being overprotective.

Jared tried to focus on his day, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.  Tom called him a few hours later to tell him that Jensen was at the store, but that he’d skipped his morning coffee run, and that he looked awful, even though he insisted that he was fine.  He thanked Tom for the update, and with Tom’s assurance that he and Amy would take care of Jensen, Jared turned back to the task at hand.

Taking out Pete was a simple job; it was the timing that was tricky.  Even though Pete knew better, he was a creature of habit, and he was always surrounded by an entourage.  They’d been able to ascertain his schedule for the day, and there was a very narrow window when they’d be able to grab him.  If they missed it, they’d most likely have to wait until the next day.  Jared resigned himself to waiting.

+++Jensen+++

Jensen had debated calling Amy and telling her that he wouldn’t be in, but he knew that she’d tell Jared, and he didn’t want his boyfriend distracted.  He skipped his usual trip to the coffee shop and headed down the back staircase to the shop.  He’d just make sure that he wasn’t alone in the shop, and once Jared got home, he’d tell him about Ethan’s visit.  He was sure that Jared would know what to do.

Jensen was a little disgusted with himself.  He was a grown man with an advanced degree and a successful business; he should be able to stand up for himself and not need his boyfriend to come to his rescue.  But it was Ethan, and seeing him again had taken Jensen right back to college, and the feelings of helplessness and fear he’d felt then.  He’d done enough research on abuse survivors and PTSD to know that it was okay, even encouraged, to ask for help in situations like this, but it was still hard to accept.

He’d called Tom to let him know that he wouldn’t be going for coffee, and once Amy had arrived at the store and they’d opened up, Tom had gone to the coffee shop and gotten drinks for the three of them.  The caffeine had been welcome, and had woken him up a bit, but it definitely didn’t help him be less jumpy.  Both Tom and Amy had asked him more than once if he was sure he was okay to be in the store until he’d finally snapped at them, and then quickly apologized.  He’d had to remind himself that the goal for the day was to not have them call Jared and distract him from whatever it was he was doing.

Tom had disappeared to do whatever it was that Tom did, Amy was busy helping customers, and Jensen tried to concentrate on filling some special orders.  The morning went by more quickly than Jensen had anticipated.  Tom brought them lunch, and then reminded them that he’d be gone on an errand for Gerald for a couple of hours.  Now that Amy was working at the store, it wasn’t unusual for Aldis, Tom, or Justin to leave Amy in charge; Jensen just wished that that didn’t have to happen today.  It wasn’t that he wasn’t confident in Amy’s abilities; it was just that the more people around him, the safer he felt.  Still, it wasn’t like he could say anything, so he just choked down his lunch and went back to work.

By the time 3:00 rolled around Jensen was once again lost in work.  He was behind the counter, and Amy was in the back room when reality came crashing back down in the form of Ethan entering the store.

Jensen glanced toward the back of the store, but Amy was still in the back with the door closed.  “I told you that I don’t want you here, Ethan.”

“And I told you that you’re mine.  I thought maybe giving you a day to think about things would bring you to your senses, but I see that you’re just as stubborn as ever.  Maybe you need a stronger reminder,” he said as he stepped behind the counter, trapping Jensen in the corner.

Terror was not a strong enough word for what Jensen felt.  The world went blurry, and suddenly Jensen couldn’t tell if he was in the store or back in his dorm room.  Ethan crowded up against him, one hand on Jensen’s hip and the other around the back of his neck.  He nuzzled against Jensen’s ear for a moment. 

Jensen wanted nothing more than to push him away, to rage and strike and make Ethan learn what it was like to be the brunt of someone’s unreasonable anger.  Instead, he was frozen.  He couldn’t get enough air in his lungs to breath, let alone speak or call for help.

“Have you been waiting for me, baby?  Or have you been spreading your legs for anyone willing to give you a second look?  I remember what a slut you were for my cock, Jensen, how much you loved it no matter how I gave it to you.  It’s all I’ve been able to think about,” he whispered as his hand traveled from Jensen’s hip to the front of his pants, rubbing and kneading at Jensen.

“It took me longer than I’d thought it would for me to track you down, and you know that I don’t like to wait.  I’m going to have to punish you for that, baby.  Maybe that’s what you need though, to remind you who you belong to,” Ethan said as he took a step back and slapped Jensen hard across his face, and then punched him in the stomach. 

Jensen doubled over from the pain, and he felt his nose start to bleed.  He was shaking uncontrollably, and without thinking he called out weakly for Jared.

“Who’s Jared?” Ethan asked, his voice deceptively calm.

Jensen had one hand over his nose, and the other cradling his stomach, and he couldn’t speak.

“I asked you a question.”

Just then the door from the back opened and Amy came out into the main part of the store.  “Jensen did you order – what the fuck is going on here?”

Ethan turned to face her, looking her up and down before sneering at her to mind her own business, and turning back to Jensen.  He obviously had no idea who he was dealing with though.  “You need to step away from Jensen. Now.”

Ethan grunted in annoyance and turned back to her.  “I don’t think so, sweetheart.  You need to mind your own business, and – what the fuck?” he exclaimed as Amy seemingly pulled a gun out of thin air and pointed it at him.

“I said, you need to step away from Jensen.  And I’m not your sweetheart.”

If Jensen had thought that Ethan was angry before, it was nothing on the fury he felt rolling off him now.  Ethan was smart enough to realize that he was no match for a gun, and he headed for the door, calling over his shoulder, “This isn’t over.”

Amy rushed to Jensen as he slid down to the floor, the world going black.

26.

Jared, Aldis, and Justin had been able to grab Pete, and were on their way to a run-down and mostly abandoned block in an industrial part of the city.  Pete was begging and pleading, making promises that he had no way of keeping.  Jared finally had enough and calmly pistol whipped him, knocking him into unconsciousness. 

They’d had to be quiet as they’d waited and then grabbed Pete, and so they’d turned their phones off.  Once Pete was blessedly silent, Jared pulled his out and turned it on, reminding the other two to do the same.  All three phones started chirping, letting them know that they had missed calls, voice mails, and text messages.  More than what a few hours of radio silence warranted, and Jared felt his pulse pick up as he realized that the calls were from Tom and Amy.  He called Tom directly, instead of taking the time to listen and read the messages.

Tom answered on the first ring, and Jared got right to the point.  “Is Jensen okay?”

“Yes, mostly.”  
“What do you mean, mostly?”

Tom had worked for Jared for a long time and it was rare that he felt frightened of him, but that question, and the tone in which it was asked sent chills down Tom’s spine.

“I mean he’s shaken up, but he’s not seriously injured or in any immediate danger.  Amy and I closed up the store and brought Jensen to your place.  I called Dr. Collins and he checked Jensen over and then gave him a sedative.”

Jared took a deep breath, trying to reign in his temper.  It didn’t work.  “What the fuck is going on there, Tom?”

“I’m still trying to figure it all out, but here’s what I know.  I was on an errand for your father.  The store was quiet, and Amy had gone into the back room for a few minutes, leaving Jensen up front.  She walked out and some guy had Jensen pinned behind the counter.  Amy told the guy to step away from Jensen, and when he didn’t she pulled her gun.  That got him out of the store, and then Jensen passed out.”

“Who was this guy?  What did he want?”

“That’s the part that we’re working on.  We closed the store, brought him here, and called the doctor.  Jensen wouldn’t say anything to us, no matter what we asked.  Dr. Collins said that he thinks Jensen must be suffering from PTSD.  Amy didn’t recognize the guy, and so I have Chad going through the surveillance footage so that we can figure out who he is.”

“What did this guy do to Jensen?”

“I’m not positive since Jensen isn’t talking, but he had a bloody nose, though the doctor said it’s not broken.  Looks like he’s going to have a black eye, and he has some abdominal bruising, so I’m thinking that they guy must have punched him, too.  Chad should be calling me back any minute with what’s shown on the tape.”

Jared was silent for a minute, and Tom knew better than to interrupt.  Aldis and Justin kept shooting him worried glances from the front of the van.  “Call the pilot and tell him that he needs to have the jet ready to go in an hour, then call Chad and tell him to make sure he’s available to take my call as soon as I’m in the air, then call my brother and tell him to meet the jet at the airport when I land.  I don’t want you or Amy to leave Jensen’s side for any reason.”

Jared disconnected without waiting for a response.  He could tell that Justin and Alids were curious, but he knew that they wouldn’t ask.  “Change of plans.  When we get to the plant I’m going to put a bullet in this fucker’s head, then I’m taking the van to the airport and heading back to Chicago.  You two need to stay and dispose of the body, then call Chad to make arrangements to get you on a commercial flight back home as soon as possible.”

“What’s going on?  Is Jensen okay?” Aldis asked.

“Someone attacked Jensen in his store.  I don’t know who yet, but when I find out he’s going to wish he was never born.”

27.

Jared had been in the air and on the phone with Chad in just over an hour after speaking with Tom.  He’d spoken with Tom again, and found out that Jensen was still asleep from the sedative he’d been given by Dr. Collins.  After what felt like days instead of hours, he was in the back of a Town Car with his brother, heading home to Jensen.

His brother knew the basics of what had happened, and he was almost as upset as Jared.  He’d really come to like Jensen.  He made his little brother happier than he’d ever been, and Jensen had quickly become one of Brayden’s favorite people.  Jared gave Jeff the details he’d been given of what had occurred in the store, and then filled him in on what he’d learned from Chad.

“Chad pulled up the video footage from the surveillance cameras in the store.  The guy came in and pinned Jensen behind the counter almost immediately, and it was obvious that Jensen knew who he was and didn’t want him there.  He hit Jensen in the face, and then punched him in the gut.  That’s when Amy came out and ran him off,” Jared paused.  Chad had e-mailed Jared the clip and Jared had become so enraged that he’d even scared himself a little.  That bastard had touched what was Jared’s, had hurt what was Jared’s.  He was going to make him pay, and he was going to enjoy doing it.

“No one recognized the guy, and Jensen is still out of it.  I have an idea of who it is, but I won’t be sure until Jensen can confirm it.”

“Who do you think it is?  I seriously can’t imagine anyone wanting to hurt Jensen.”

Jared took a deep breath.  What he was about to share with his brother wasn’t his story to tell, and he hoped that Jensen wouldn’t take him sharing it badly, but he didn’t see an alternative. 

“When Jensen was in college in Kansas he had a boyfriend.  It was his first and only relationship, and from what he told me he was head-over-heels for the guy.  The guy, Ethan, abused him emotionally and physically, and it ended with Jensen in the ICU and the asshole in prison.  He’s the only person I can think of who would do something like this.”

Jeff looked shocked, “That’s horrible.  No wonder Jensen has trust issues.  Is Chad trying to locate the guy?”

“Yeah, he is.  He had to go back through the background check I had him do to get the guy’s last name, and he’s looking at hotels trying to find where he might be staying, if it is him.  The only picture Chad has of the guys is several years old, and it’s hard to be positive that he’s the guy on the video.”

“We’ll find him little brother, whoever he is, and we’ll make sure that he never touches Jensen again.”

28.

Finally, Jared was home.  He took the stairs two at a time, not wanting to take any longer than absolutely necessary to get to Jensen’s side.  Jensen was on his back in the middle of Jared’s bed, the covers pulled up almost to his chin.  He was pale, and his cheek and right eye was swollen and black and blue.  Jared was glad that Jensen was asleep, because he had to take a few minutes to get himself under control.

“Jensen?  Jensen, can you wake up for a minute?”

Jensen’s lashes fluttered and he groaned a bit, before finally opening his eyes and looking around the room in confusion.  Jared could tell the exact moment when Jensen remembered what had happened.  His breathing sped up and he sat up, moaning in pain, eyes darting around the room looking for his attacker.

“Shh, shh Jensen, you’re okay, you’re safe,” Jared said as he gently took Jensen’s hand in his, trying to calm him.

“J-Jared?”

“Yeah, it’s me.  I’m here.”

Jensen threw himself in Jared’s arms, a sob tearing from him.  Jared held on to him as he broke down, his heart breaking to hear his boyfriend so upset, and his anger building even higher toward the person who had caused it.  He rubbed circles into Jensen’s back and whispered non-sense in his ear until he calmed down.

“I’m sorry, I’m s-so sorry.”

“Jensen, look at me, please.”  Jensen reluctantly met Jared’s eyes.  “You don’t have anything to be sorry about.”

“But your trip-“

“Is not important.  You are important.  I’m the one who’s sorry.”

“What?  Why are you sorry?”

“Because I didn’t keep you safe.  I promise you that nothing like this will ever happen again.”

They were quiet for a few minutes, taking comfort in each other.

“Can you tell me what happened?”

Jensen was still tucked into Jared’s side, and he was silent so long that Jared thought he’d fallen back to sleep when he heard him whisper, “It was Ethan.”

“That’s what I thought.  What did he want?”

“He said that he wants me back.  That I was his and that he’d been waiting for me.  I’d already told him once not to come back, but he did anyway, and he told me that I had to be punished because I’d been so difficult for him to find.  I got confused, and I froze.  That’s when he hit me; I don’t remember anything after that.”  Jensen said it all in a rush, wanting to get it over with, and by the time he was finished he was trembling almost uncontrollably. 

“Wait a minute, you’d already told him?  You’ve seen him before today?”  Jared’s voice had gone flat and cold, and despite the pain, Jensen quickly moved to the opposite side of the bed, his posture becoming defensive.  Jared immediately felt like an ass, but he had to make sure that he had all of the information before he was able to fix the situation.

“Jensen, look at me, please,” he asked gently.  Jensen reluctantly met his eyes.  “How many times have you seen him?”

‘J-just twice, Jared, I promise.” 

“I believe you,” Jared said quietly.  “Come here, I’m not angry with you, I was just surprised.” 

Jensen studied him for a long moment before slowly making his way back into his boyfriend’s arms.

“You weren’t really sick yesterday, were you?  Is that when you first saw him?  Why didn’t you tell me?  Or even Tom or Amy?”

“He showed up yesterday while Amy was eating lunch with Tom.  Seeing him did make me sick, and then I didn’t know what to do.  I wanted to tell you.  It was all I could do to not call you right away.  But I knew that whatever you were doing in New York was important; you were so angry about whatever it was that you were going there to deal with, and I knew that if I told you, or if I told Tom or Amy and they told you, that you’d rush and be distracted, and I didn’t want you to get hurt.  I didn’t think that he’d come back so soon, or at least I hoped that he wouldn’t, and I thought I’d just tell you when you came back and you’d help me decide what to do.”

Jared pulled Jensen more firmly in his arms.  He’d never imagined that he’d ever feel about someone the way he felt about Jensen.  Jensen, who’d kept something that terrified him so much from Jared because he’d put Jared’s well-being first.  He was so in love that it was a little ridiculous.  “Oh Jensen, nothing, nothing is more important to me than you.  I know how to be careful, and I’m surrounded by people who put my safety first, which lets me put you first.  You have to promise me that you’ll never keep something like this from me again.”

“Yeah, okay, I promise.”

There was a knock on the door, and Dr. Collins came in.  “I just wanted to check on my patient.  How are you feeling, Jensen?”

“Better.  I’m tired and a little sore.”  
“With what happened earlier, and the sedative, I’m not surprised that you’re tired.  If you’re up to it, I wanted to talk to you about something for a minute.”

“Sure.”

“Would you like Mr. Padalecki to step outside for a moment?”

“No, I…I want him to stay here.  Hiding things from him obviously doesn’t work out well for me,” he said ruefully.

“Okay then.  I don’t know much about your history.  Your physical injuries are minor; what I’m more concerned with is your mental health.  Based on what I was told of your reaction to the attack today, and what I observed when you were brought here, I suspect that you’re dealing with PTSD.  Are you familiar with that diagnosis?”

“Yes, I’m very familiar with it.”  
“What’s PTSD?” Jared asked.  It sound familiar, but he wasn’t positive what it was.

“It stands for post traumatic stress disorder,” Jensen explained.  “After Ethan put me in the hospital back in Kansas, they required me to see a therapist who diagnosed me with PTSD and severe anxiety.  Once I was discharged and went to stay with Sam I tried to handle things on my own, but I wound up having flash-backs and panic attacks, and Sam insisted that I see someone.”

“So you were abused by someone?” Dr. Collins asked, trying to fit all of the pieces together.

“Yes, by my boyfriend.  He’s the one who attacked me today.”

“And do you still see a counselor and/or take any medication?”

Jensen nodded.  “I haven’t seen a counselor since I moved to Chicago, but I do take daily anti-anxiety medication, and I have Xanax in case I need something else.”

“I’m sure you know this, but it’s important that you not miss a dose of your medication.  Mr. Padalecki, can you arrange for someone to go to Jensen’s to pick that up?”

Jared agreed.  “Of course.  Jensen is going to be staying here until we…take care of the situation.  I’ll have Tom go to your apartment and pack a few things, and make sure that Raven has food and water.”

“Can Amy take care of the store?”  When Jared agreed, Jensen felt very relieved.  Things would be taken care of, and he could attempt to relax.  He was so glad that Jared was home. 

Jared stepped out to speak with Tom, and Dr. Collins took Jensen’s blood pressure and gave him a little more pain medication.  “I’m going to be back to check on you tomorrow.  I’ll bring a list of therapists I recommend, just in case you feel like you’d like to speak with someone.  In the meantime, feel free to call me if you need anything.”

 

29.

Jared made sure Jensen was comfortable, and then went to his home office to call Chad.  He told him that Jensen had confirmed that his attacker was Ethan.  Chad told him that there was no one by the name Ethan Gilmore registered at any hotels in the area.  He’d also checked Ethan’s credit cards and there’d been no activity.  He had made a sizeable cash withdrawal from his bank in Kansas five days earlier though.  
“So he’s either paying for everything in cash, or he’s going by an alias, boss.”

Jared growled in frustration.  “That makes sense I suppose, since he isn’t supposed to leave the state while he’s on parole.  How are we going to find him?”

Jared had conferenced Aldis in on the call, as he and Justin were at JFK in New York, waiting for their flight to board.  “Jensen has only seen the guy at the store, right?” Aldis asked.

“Yes, yesterday and today.”

“I think it’s a fair bet that Ethan will come back to the store.  That’s probably our best chance at getting him, unless Chad can figure out his alias.”

“You’re right,” Jared agreed.  “Though after Amy pulled her gun on him, I doubt he’s going to go back in if he sees her around.  When will you and Justin get in?”

“We’re scheduled to land at Midway in four hours, which would put us at 1:00am your time.”

“Okay, you two go home and get some sleep, but be here at 8:00 so we can get things moving.  I want this bastard dealt with as soon as possible.”

30.

Jared had arranged for Katie to cover the store for a couple of days, telling her that Jensen was ill.  Thankfully, her classes were in the evenings, and she was happy to do something to help out Jensen.  Jared, Jeff, Tom, Aldis, and Justin were all discreetly stationed outside the store, and Amy was hidden in the back room.

Ethan was either foolhardy, or stupid, maybe both, because he showed up that day just after lunch.  He walked by the store a couple of times, trying to surreptitiously look inside.  Seemingly satisfied with what he saw, he went inside.  Jared watched through the door as Ethan approached the counter, and then entered the store just in time to hear Katie tell Ethan that Jensen was out sick.

“Oh, hi Jared!  What are you doing here?” she greeted when she noticed Jared.  Ethan spun around, the sneer on his face quickly turning to shock as he took in Jared’s size.

“Just thought I’d drop in and see how things are going.  Looks like I’m right on time, too,” he smiled at Katie before turning his full attention on Ethan.  “Ethan, right?  Jensen has told me so much about you.”

Amy came out of the back room, smiled at Jared and Ethan, and distracted Katie with a stack of books that needed to be shelved.  The color drained from Ethan’s face when he saw her, and if Jared wasn’t so angry he probably would have laughed.  He put his arm around Ethan’s shoulder and steered him to the back room.  Ethan resisted at first, but Jared’s whispered, “I don’t want to, but I will shoot you right here if I have to,” got him moving.

Jared steered him through the small back room and out the door that led to the alley, where Jeff and the others had a large, black SUV waiting.  Jared forced Ethan inside, and Tom and Justin bound Ethan’s hands and feet.  Jared closed the door behind himself, and Jeff took off.

Ethan immediately started begging and pleading, promising to never go near Jensen again.  When that didn’t get him anywhere, he turned to threats, telling them that he’d turn them in, that they’d all go to jail.  Jared had enough, and motioned for Tom to gag Ethan.

They were heading to an abandoned farm that Chad had found west of the city.  It was about an hour’s drive, and Jared was not going to listen to Ethan all the way there.  Instead, he made Ethan listen to him.

“Do you know who I am, Ethan?”

Ethan’s eyes were wide, and he frantically shook his head.

“My name is Jared.  Jared Padalecki.  Does that mean anything to you?”

It obviously did, because Ethan began to whimper and struggle against his bonds.  Jared backhanded him, and told him to settle down.

“More importantly, I’m Jensen’s boyfriend, and Jensen is mine.  Now, if you know who I am, I’m sure that you can imagine what happens when someone touches something that belongs to me, when someone hurts what’s mind.  Can you guess, Ethan?” 

He didn’t wait for a response but went on, “Jensen told me a while ago about you.  About what you’d done to him, and I wanted to kill you then.  Jensen though, he’s so good, so kind, he told me to let it go.  He’s really too good for me, and he’s way, way too good for you.”  Jared paused and stared at Ethan.  He could tell that Ethan was warring with fear and indignation, and Jared was grimly satisfied. 

“But then you showed up here.  You were dead as soon as you got to Chicago, even if you didn’t know it.”

Ethan took in a sharp breath, and started pleading again, though his words were muffled and unrecognizable behind the gag.  Jared just laughed.  “If you’d just spoken with Jensen, I would have made it quick.  Probably.  Just a shot to the temple,” Jared tapped his fingers against the side of Ethan’s head, making him flinch, “and it would have been over.  But no, you had to go and touch him, bruise him, hurt him, and I simply can’t tolerate that.”

Jared was quiet for a few minutes, letting that sink in.  Ethan was shaking now, panting, and straining against his bonds.

Jared slapped him again, drawing blood from his nose and upper lip, “Settle the fuck down,” he growled. 

“A lot of people underestimate me,” Jared said conversationally.  “They think I’m just a thug in an expensive suit.  It’s usually the last mistake they make.”  He smiled at Ethan.

“I’m actually very intelligent, and I am very thorough in my research.  It struck me as odd that your sentence for hospitalizing Jensen was so harsh.  Jensen was, is, under the impression that you’d never done anything like that to anyone but him, but that’s not true, is it?”

“He was the third.  It started in high school, with your girlfriend, Mindy, was it?  Nothing like what you did to Jensen, but enough to get you put in juvie.  Then your freshman year you met Matt.  A couple of domestic assaults and a stalking charge from him, this time on your adult record.  Next it was Jensen.  His injuries showed a dramatic escalation in your behavior.  Throw in a judge with a hard-on for domestic assault cases, and there you have it.  Really, I’m doing the world a favor by getting rid of you.”

They were all quiet then, and soon they pulled up in front of the farm.  Tom and Justin drug Ethan into the derelict barn, removing his gag, and tying him to a beam.  “You know what else my research provided me Ethan?” Jared asked as he came to a stop in front of him.

“N-no,” Ethan stuttered out.  He was still shaking, but he wasn’t fighting; he seemed resigned to his fate.

“It provided me with a list of every single, documented thing that you did to Mindy, Matt, and Jensen. And now, it’s your turn to see how those things feel.  Each and every one of them.”

It was over two hours later when a single gunshot rang out, and Jared left the barn, a grim look of satisfaction on his face.

 

Epilogue – Two Months Later

Jared dropped the final box down in the foyer of his home.  “Jensen, you own a book store.  Why in the hell do you have to own so many books personally?  I swear I’ve hauled more books from your apartment than you have in the whole of your store!”

Jensen laughed, “Aw, Jared, are my books too heavy for you?”

“You know, this is exactly why people hire movers.”

“And as I’ve told you a dozen times, I don’t like the idea of strangers going through my things.  Besides, I thought that my boyfriend was strong enough to carry a few boxes.  Guess I was wrong.” 

Jared growled playfully and tackled Jensen to the sofa, their sofa.  He still couldn’t believe that Jensen was moving in with him.  Two months ago he’d told Jensen that he’d never have to worry about Ethan again.  He could tell that Jensen had wanted to know more, the why and how of it all, but that at the same time, he didn’t.  Jensen had closed off from him for a week or so after that, and Jared had been afraid that he was going to lose him.

Then one day Jensen had come into Jared’s home office and told him that while he didn’t necessarily agree with Jared’s job outside of the publishing house, he knew that he didn’t want to live without Jared.  They’d laid down a few ground rules, and Jared immediately started pestering Jensen to move in with him.  The day Jensen agreed was the happiest day of Jared’s life.

Their playful fighting on the sofa quickly turned heated, until, “Holy Hell, can’t you two keep your hands to yourselves for ten minutes?” Jeff exclaimed in exasperation.  His wife slapped him lightly on the arm.

“They’re like newlyweds, leave them alone.”

“Uncle Jensen!  Uncle Jared!” Brayden yelled as he launched himself onto the sofa with them.  “Can we go outside and play soccer?”

Jared and Brayden got up to hunt for the ball, and Jensen looked around his new home, and at his new family.  He was truly home.

 

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
